Johnson City Commission candidate: Sylvain Bruni

Sylvain Bruni is on the Johnson City Commission ballot along with 10 other candidates this election year. The Johnson City Press interviewed each candidate running for city commission. In his interview with the Press, Bruni, the chair of the Washington County Democratic Party, says his campaign isn't about partisanship; it's about improving the community."I'm very involved in politics. But not the kind of transactional politics that you typically see," he said. "To me, it's about policy, it's about supporting people."Born in rural France, Bruni moved to the U.S. in 2003 to earn a master's degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, moving to Northeast Tennessee in 2017.Bruni now works as a senior-level engineer at a research and development company that primarily contracts for the U.S. Department of Defense. A lot of his job involves long-term, layered planning and analysis, as well as management — skills he believes could serve the commission well. Before his city campaign, Bruni challenged state Rep. Rebecca Alexander, R-Jonesborough, for her seat in the statehouse in 2024. He decided to run for city commission as community concerns grew about potential data center developments in Johnson City, helping to organize the "No Bitcoin in Johnson City coalition."He regularly attends city commission meetings and is a regular speaker during public comment. Bruni is also the only gay candidate on the ballot, something he says brings critical representation of the city's LGBTQ+ community.Bruni is campaigning on affordability, protecting the city's neighborhoods and government accountability. Affordability and property taxes One of Bruni's campaign priorities is affordability, including affordable housing. He says there are a lot of ways the city can combat the cost-of-living crisis at a local level that aren't being utilized. As a commissioner, he said he'd advocate for a program that favors middle and infill housing in an effort to keep housing costs down. He frequently says the city needs to begin "flexing its legislative muscles" in Nashville to address state-controlled taxes, like the gas and grocery tax. Tennessee is one of eight states in the U.S. that has a grocery tax.Bruni also said he's "very concerned" about large financial commitments the city has made over the past few years. He said now is not the time for extra taxpayer investment in a new multimillion-dollar aquatic center. Police use of Flock technology Bruni said he'd like to stop the use of Flock cameras immediately, if elected to the board. "That would mean, first, turn off the system and put bags on top of the cameras so we know they're not being used," he said. "And it's looking at the contract with Flock to see how we can best get out of it from a financial perspective."Bruni also criticized the city's handling of the program so far. "Saying that 'oh, it's just one click to give access or not to our data from all agencies around the country' — that's not a flex," Bruni said, referencing the city deputy police chief's explanation of his mistake in leaving a Flock nationwide sharing option enabled for longer than he said he was aware."Horrible design from Flock, but also a horrible admission that simple errors can lead to massive impacts," Bruni said. Data centers Local regulations for data centers are a big deal for Bruni. Over the past year, he's worked on a committee with city staff to draft still-developing changes to the city's noise and zoning code to account for the structures' potential impacts. While he's happy with the progress that's been made, Bruni said if he were on the commission, he would have put more pressure on city staff to get the regulations completed. Originally, the code revisions were set to be completed by mid-2026. Now there's barely enough meeting dates for the revisions to make it through voting by the end of the year."I do not think that they have put pressure on the city manager to get it done," Bruni said. "I wish this had been done a lot sooner. What I would have done differently as a city commissioner is first, have a lot more public engagement upfront."Bruni said it's a priority for him to get these regulations completed before the end of 2026 because during next year's state legislative session, new bills could pass that limit municipalities' control over data center development. What does transparency and open government look like to you? "Being proactive about engaging with the community and telling [them] 'this is what we're working on,' 'this is what we will be working on,' 'this is where there will be an opportunity for community input,' and things like that."If elected, he said he wants to make public comment more accessible by removing restrictions on comment topics and number of speakers. He also wants to make the commission's work sessions more accessible. Early voting begins Oct. 14 and runs through Oct. 29. Election Day is Nov. 3. Voters can find their voting precinct on their voter registration card, or by contacting their local elections office or visiting GoVoteTn.org.